| Event: | EP Epidemic |
| Number: | 2024-000099 |
| Country: | GTM Guatemala |
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| Date (YMD): | 2024-5-13 |
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| Information Source: | IFRC |
| Comments: | Dengue continues to be the arbovirus with the highest number of reported cases in the Americas region, with outbreaks occurring on a cyclical basis every 3 to 5 years. During the year 2024 between epidemiological weeks (SE, for its acronym in Spanish) 1 and 16 of 2024, a total of 6,769,140 suspected cases of dengue were reported (cumulative incidence of 717 cases per 100,000 population). This ígure represents an increase of 206% compared with the same period in 2023 and 387% compared with the average for the last 5 years (1).
On 16 February 2024, in view of the exponential increase in dengue cases observed in the írst weeks of the year in several countries of the Region of the Americas, PAHO made an urgent appeal to Member States. The organization emphasized the need to intensify vector control measures and to maintain active surveillance, ensuring early diagnosis and timely treatment of cases (2).
On 7 March 2024, the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS, for its acronym in Spanish) of Guatemala, through the Directorate of Epidemiology and Risk Management, issued an epidemiological alert for dengue (3). This alert was established to reinforce dengue control and prevention plans, based on data accumulated up to epidemiological week 7, which ended on 17 February. As of that date, a total of 6,760 cases of dengue fever had been recorded this year, of which 31 were severe cases resulting in 3 deaths. The decision to issue this alert was motivated by the beginning of the high dengue transmission season in the country. As part of this measure, speciíc epidemiological surveillance actions were reinforced, including standardized protocols for the detection, notiícation, and registration of cases in hospitals and health areas. |
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